by Holly Jaymes
Now that she was gone, I changed out of my clothes again.
I still had a few hours to lie around in bed. Now I could do it in peace.
Fay
It was a big day at the studio on Friday, the crew was all excited to meet the most eligible bachelor of Boston in person. Susan was probably the most excited out of everyone. I could see her talking rapidly, going over notes, barking instructions at the makeup artist. For a woman in her fifties, Susan had definitely aged gracefully. She was aware of the effect she had on men of all ages.
I tried to get her attention as she sat on the makeup chair, surrounded by her crew.
I’d already prepared a list of questions and talking points for her, but she was barely even looking at the notes.
“Susan, did you have a look at the relevant heart issues and conditions you can ask Doctor Barnhart about?” I asked her, while she scrolled through her phone, trying to look up celebrity gossip columns for dirt on the guy. She waved a hand in the air.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll see,” she replied half-heartedly.
“W could try and focus the interview on tips related to heart issues, you know? He could give our audience advice on lifestyle changes and how to make healthy choices,” I added, but Susan wasn’t even listening anymore.
Giving up, I decided to go for a break. This was the only time before the show that I would have been able to snatch a few minutes to myself. I got a soda from the vending machine and stepped out through the backs doors of the studio. I usually took my breaks in the parking lot, where I knew I wouldn’t be disturbed.
I popped open the can of soda and took a sip, as I walked towards my car. It was a pleasant day, surprisingly, and I tried to not think about my frustrations with the job. Just a few more years and I would have enough money saved up to produce a meaningful documentary. I could finally do what I always wanted to do; I reminded myself.
The sound of tires screeching on concrete alerted me. I looked up to find a shiny blue sports-car zooming into the parking lot at top speed.
“What the Hell,” I murmured to myself as I watched the car race past me, making my hair blow in the breeze it created. I watched, shaking my head in annoyance as the car screeched to a halt, parking haphazardly in front of my car, blocking me out.
“Hey!” I shouted, at the top of my lungs, running towards it. Not only had the driver been driving dangerously, but now he or she had parked the car in the most ridiculous way possible, right in front of mine.
“Excuse me!” I shouted, approaching the vehicle as the driver’s door slid open smoothly. I could see a man stepping out now and the closer I got, the slower my pace became.
He had gotten out of the car. For a moment, I felt too thrown to move or say anything. I recognized him immediately. It was Doctor Barnhart. I just hadn’t expected him to be this dazzlingly good looking in person.
He was in a chocolate colored tweed three-piece suit, which was undoubtedly tailor-made just for him and fit him perfectly. He had dark brown shiny shoes on and matching sunglasses that partially covered his chiseled, handsome face. His tie was a muted red color. He stood, with one hand casually stuck into the pocket of his pants. This man sure knew how to dress, and he was dressed to the nines for TV.
“Hello, there. What an unexpected reception,” his voice was deep and smooth, very calm and everything about him had shaken me to the core. I was hoping to put up a fight against his absurd parking skills, but he had distracted me. With his brushed back sandy blond hair and his strong jaw, I felt disoriented for a few moments.
“You need to move your car, you’re blocking me!” I said, trying to sound as firm as possible. He was walking towards me while I stood still, in the middle of the parking lot. The closer he got, the more I realized that he was way taller than me; an intimidating, looming presence.
Instead of reacting to what I’d just said, he slowly started pulling his sunglasses off his face.
“I’m Doctor Barnhart, I’m here for the Fairweather show,” he said, extending a hand towards me. With his sunglasses off, I could see his green eyes now, they were deep, and they sparkled with a hint of humor in them.
“I know who you are, I just need you to move your car,” I snapped, eyeing his car, which he didn’t bother to look at again.
“Who are you?” he asked and I gulped. I was clutching the can of soda tightly in my hand. I was trying to hold my ground, to not give away my nervousness.
“I’m Ms. Fairweather’s production assistant, and I would like it if you could please move your car, Doctor Barnhart,” I replied. His eyes roamed over me, flitting over my face, down the front of my blouse…he was assessing me.
“And your name is?” he asked. I gritted my teeth.
“Fay Woods,” I replied.
“Fay Woods! We’ve spoken already,” he exclaimed. His face stretched in a painfully gorgeous smile. I had spent so much time resisting this man’s public allure, but now I could feel myself cracking. I was so close to smiling, but he turned away from me, just at the last second.
“Okay, Fay, I’ll do what you want me to, I’m here to please,” he said. I watched as he walked back to his car.
I whipped away, relieved that I hadn’t smiled at him or blushed uncontrollably as I was on the brink of doing.
I jogged back into the studio, throwing my full can of soda in the trash. I needed a defense strategy against this man, and I needed it fast.
Sawyer
By the time I’d parked my car and stepped out, Fay Woods was gone. I looked around the parking lot with my brows crossed, but it was empty. Why had she run away so suddenly? I was looking forward to talking to her some more.
Slipping my car keys in the pocket of my pants, I made my way towards the front of the studio. I was still thinking about her, and how sexy she was. She wasn’t hot in my usual type of way. She wasn’t blond, and also she didn't have her face done up to perfection.
Instead, she was a short, buxom brunette, with wild blue expressive eyes. She was wearing a regular pair of dark jeans and a long loose blouse which stretched over her breasts. She had her hair done up in a messy bun. I’d noticed the pen stuck in her hair. She was sexy in a naughty seductive teacher-fantasy sort of way like she would school me any chance she got.
I couldn’t wait to see her again.
I walked into the studio and was immediately greeted by a group of eager crew members. My jacket was taken from me, and I was being led to my changing room where a makeup artist had already been appointed to take care of my needs.
“You won’t really need much help from me, you’re already camera ready,” the girl said, with a tease in her voice.
“I definitely need some of your magic,” I told her. She giggled, exchanging looks with some of the other girls who were around her.
“Doctor Barnhart, Ms. Fairweather will be with you shortly, to go over the details of the interview,” one of the girls told me, as I sat down on the chair in front of the lit-up mirror.
“I look forward to meeting her, and do you happen to know where Fay Woods is?” I asked her.
“Fay? Oh, I’ll check. She’s probably on a call or something. She’s always so busy,” the girl rolled her eyes.
“Thanks, whenever you get a chance,” I added, and she blushed and left the changing room, not in much of a hurry.
I was alone in the room with the makeup artist now, and she was fixing a towel around my neck.
“You don’t even need foundation. Most of the men who come in here are hard work, your skin is perfect,” the girl ran a fingertip over my cheek, and I looked at her in the mirror.
I would have noticed her more distinctly on any other day. She was a good-looking woman, probably my age, with flaming red hair. But today, my mind was filled with Fay. I was still uneasy about the fact that she had shown no interest in staying to talk. That was not the reaction I usually got from women.
“Hey, thanks, I’ll take that as a compliment,” I said to the girl who
smiled. She was brushing my hair back now, planning on styling it with some product.
“You should. The camera won’t do you justice!” she remarked, getting to work on my hair.
“How long has Fay been working here? With Susan. Do you know?” I asked the makeup artist who shrugged her shoulders.
“Long…I think. I only started working here a few months ago, Fay is a veteran. Susan can’t do anything without her, even though they’re both at each other’s throats all the time,” the girl rolled her eyes as she weaved her fingers into my hair.
“They don’t get along?” I asked, inquisitive about the personality of this woman who had intrigued me.
“They believe they don’t, but I think deep inside, they both rely on each other. They just don’t see eye to eye on most things. Like, getting you here today. Oh…I shouldn’t have told you that!” she blushed and stepped away from me, chewing on her lip.
“Don’t worry about it, I won’t tell. Who didn’t want me here? Fay, I’m guessing,” I tried to be friendly, even though I was slightly offended by the news.
The woman returned to working on my hair, brushing and styling it to perfection.
“Kinda. Well, Fay has some strong opinions on the kind of guests Susan invites to her show,” she continued, and I stared at myself in the mirror. I wasn’t doubting myself, I never did that…especially based on the opinion of a woman who didn’t even know me, but I was curious.
“What is her opinion of me?” I asked.
She shrugged her shoulders, her cheeks flushing again.
“I really don’t want to gossip,” she said meekly.
“You’re not! You’re just answering my questions. It’s okay, I won’t shoot the messenger,” I told her with a warm laugh, trying to put her at ease…which seemed to work like a charm.
“Well, I heard her complaining to some of the crew about how she didn’t think you would be an appropriate guest. That you’re not a real doctor, and just camera hungry and Susan just doesn’t see that. Well, I don’t agree with her. None of us do, Doctor Barnhart,” the woman continued, while she dabbed on some sort of cream on my cheeks.
I clenched my jaws as I stared at the reflection of myself. Those were harsh words, and now I could see why Fay had run away from me in the parking lot. She had already formed some strong opinions about me…based on what? What she read in the papers? Based on gossip columns about my sex life? None of them were correct! Well, most of them weren’t…okay, a few of them weren’t.
“There, all done!” the woman interrupted my thoughts, and I smiled at her in the mirror.
“You’re a star!” I exclaimed, jumping out of my chair.
I was determined to prove Fay wrong. It was my personal mission.
Fay
I was talking with Susan, or rather, she was spouting words at me, and I was pretending to listen when I saw from the corner of my eye; Sawyer Barnhart walking towards us. I tried to not have the same physical reaction towards him as I did the last time I saw him.
“Ms. Fairweather! I’m a fan,” Sawyer came up to us, speaking to Susan directly, instead of looking at me. Susan, despite herself, seemed to color when she first laid eyes on him. I didn’t blame her, his good looks had caught me off guard earlier in the parking lot too.
“Oh, Doctor Barnhart! Charmed,” she said and gave him her hand to shake. I could sense subtle undercurrents of hostility from Sawyer, because he refused to look at me, despite his attempts at flirting earlier. I couldn’t be sure if I offended him by demanding that he parked his car better, or if he was offended because I’d run away from him without greeting him properly.
“And this is my production assistant, Fay. I’m sure you two have talked already, I hope she’s been taking care of you,” Susan was speaking in an unusually high-pitched voice with him, and Sawyer was all smiles.
I could see him working his charms, it didn’t surprise me. I’d heard and read enough about him to know precisely the kind of person he was.
“Yes, Fay, we met earlier. She showed me where to park my car,” Sawyer looked at me briefly but turned his attention to Susan again.
“So, are we ready to do this thing?” he asked, slipping a hand into his pocket, creating that calm and casual air about himself.
Susan was falling for it, I could see it happening, as was everyone else at the studio. The crew was abuzz with whispers about Sawyer Barnhart on the premises all afternoon. It was like none of them had ever met a doctor before!
“I have some notes here for you, a list of possible questions that Susan might ask you,” I handed him some sheets of paper and Sawyer took them from me without meeting my eyes.
I was a little surprised by his behavior now. Just half an hour ago, he had been flirty and friendly with me, and now he was acting like he didn’t even notice me standing there. I tried to remind myself that I didn’t care if I got his attention, I wasn’t too fond of his presence here anyway, but I couldn’t help but care. I was curious to know what had made him change his behavior towards me.
“Oh! You don’t need to look at that. It’s all boring bosh!” Susan snapped the pages out of his hands and waved them in the air. Sawyer smiled at her, ignoring me.
“We’ll just freestyle it, then?” he asked her and Susan laughed loudly like he had said the funniest thing to her.
“Something like that, I want the answers to come straight from the heart,” Susan leaned towards him to say.
“Well, some of the questions in there are on the technical side, maybe Doctor Barnhart would like to prepare for them,” I suggested, looking at both of their faces, but neither of them were looking at me.
“Don’t worry, Sawyer, I have no intention of boring my audience with technical questions,” she spoke to him, and he smiled one of his dazzling smiles.
“But, Susan…” I tried to interject, but she had already slipped her arm around him and was dragging him away. Sawyer didn’t give me another look, I was as good as invisible to them both.
I shook my head lightly, trying to control my anger from spilling over. I knew exactly what Susan was going to do. She was going to ask him a million questions about his personal life, like who he was dating, what it felt like to be the most eligible bachelor in Boston and if he had any plans of settling down.
No doubt, Sawyer was going to be charming and would handle those questions with calm and humorous ease. He’d make the audience laugh and sit at the edge of their seats. Together, he and Susan would make the viewers love him.
I had seen it a million times before with guests like him, and I could see that Sawyer Barnhart was an ideal candidate on this show.
I spent the next half an hour working with the crew to get the show off the ground, while Susan and Sawyer sat in the corner on their designated chairs, chatting and laughing together.
When the cameras started rolling, Sawyer went up on stage and took a seat beside her, waving at the cheering and clapping audience. He was a natural on camera and just like the crew, everyone else seemed to love him too.
Just like I’d predicted; Susan failed to ask him any of the questions I’d laid out for her, instead, choosing to focus on gossip and issues that made audience members giggle.
I watched from behind the scenes, looking at the camera, focusing on Sawyer’s perfect bone structure and his Greek-God-like muscular body. I wanted to look away from him, but I couldn’t. I wanted to curse and complain about the quality of the show, but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t stop looking at this man who I wanted to hate so much.
I couldn’t stop wondering why he was shutting me out so suddenly. We’d barely even had a conversation. Had I offended him so badly already?
He was great on camera, looked even better in person and I could hear a million hearts breaking all around the country as they watched him on set. He was being treated like a movie star on the show. Susan had barely mentioned the hospital or his line of work.
I was still feeling disappointed and frustrated, by th
e time his segment came to an end. I was intrigued by him, but I still didn’t like him, that much I was sure of.
Sawyer
Being on the show with Susan had been an adrenaline rush. She was easy to talk to and easy to please. The audience had seemed to warm to me pretty quickly too, unlike Fay Woods who was still on my mind.
Susan had asked me a lot of questions about my personal life, just like I’d expected her to, but I didn’t mind. I had gotten pretty good at handling those questions, the hard part was trying to keep my mind from drifting to Fay, every time it had the chance.
I hadn’t gotten over what the makeup artist had told me, about the things that Fay had been saying to the crew about me. I couldn’t get past the fact that there was one person who didn’t like me and wasn’t absolutely floored by me. Especially a woman who I found sexy.
I’d tried to avoid looking at her or speaking to her directly earlier, but now, after the show was over, and I’d spent the past hour thinking about her, I knew I had to talk to her again. The only way to get her out of my head would be to have her in my bed, and I had every intention of doing just that.
I found her talking to a cameraman as I walked off stage. Susan was still on camera, finishing up the show and I walked straight towards Fay who hadn’t seen me yet.
“What did you think of the show?” I asked, coming to a stop behind her. Fay seemed to stop before she turned to me. She looked like she was surprised to see me there.
“Oh! Yeah, that was good. It went smoothly, no complaints,” she said, trying to avoid meeting my eyes. Some of her hair had come loose from the messy bun she’d somehow put together, and she had her hands clutching the massive headphones she’d been wearing earlier. My gaze drifted to her breasts again.
“How did I do?” I asked, smiling wide at her and Fay gulped, meeting my eyes finally.
“You know how you did,” she said and tilted her head to the side.